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Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

economist.com

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Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#141

Post by refurb »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #25

> but they do not have the size that European supermarkets have to resist price increases by suppliers. Walmart bankrupted Vlassic by suckering them into a deal where they were stuck selling pickles at a loss. They are infamous for dictating price to their suppliers.

I always find the Walmart Vlasik story funny.

I mean Vlasik could always say no? If they were dumb enough to enter into a deal with Walmart than was worse than no deal at all, that’s on them.

My guess is some sales dude thought he could get a good deal with Walmart, couldn’t, took it anyways, then decided to blame Walmart.

I mean if I need my house painted and some painter offers a deal where they lose money don’t blame me when I accept.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#142

Post by nathanaldensr »

sbf501 wrote: post #91
lapetitejort wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I concur. I can't find anything other than all purpose and wheat flour. No bread flour, or anything more obscure like rye, spelt, etc. Similarly, they sell a single sea salt, alongside tons of trendy mixed salts. Want iodized salt? Go find a big grocery store. I do find tons of snacks and TV dinners, which I enjoy. But if I'm stocking up on essentials, I'd rather go to a big store. And yes, I do find obscure flours a…

Way off topic here, but Anna napoletana tipo "00" changed my life.

00 flour is great for baking and pizzas!

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#143

Post by jen20 »

random-human wrote: post #138
grendelt wrote: post #89

HEB is loved in Texas (suspiciously absent from NE Texas), but has a pretty great line of private label foods, competitive prices that are usually at or below Walmart's prices. For example, when meat prices spiked because national meatpackers had problems, HEB's Texas meatpackers didn't have such high costs (less of a spike). They have to be doing well financially with a decent markup, but the quality is pretty great…

HEB is sorely missed when I live in or visit other states and go grocery shopping. Beside national brands, they source from quality local small businesses, farms and ranches, and even make a wide range of their own "generic" brand food - including fresh foods like meal-simples (a complete meal for one, ready for the oven w/cooking directions), or even a full bbq joint in some stores. Their Central Market food brand f…

Central Market is also in Houston and maybe other places - definitely not just an Austin thing.

My biggest complaint is that they don’t take Apple Pay, which I assume means they are doing something scummy with data collection.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#145

Post by sbf501 »

nathanaldensr wrote: post #142
sbf501 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way off topic here, but Anna napoletana tipo "00" changed my life.

00 flour is great for baking and pizzas!

I had to adjust my hydration when switching from all-purpose to 00, but it is definitely a superior structure, especially with a 48-hour ferment and a little diastatic malt.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#147

Post by tpict »

jen20 wrote: post #140
tpict wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a British expat, the “yellow onions” you see in US supermarkets are most familiar.

Also as a British expat, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in Bath had all of the types of onion you’d find in the US pre-pandemic - though I haven’t been back since. I’d imagine Brexit may have ruined that.

I haven’t been back in a few years, but the selection of onions in my local Kroger would be staggeringly exotic next to the offerings of Tescos of the north-east.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#148

Post by Georgelemental »

assttoasstmgr wrote: post #103
Georgelemental wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the greatest trick the devil ever played is convincing people he doesn't exist, his second-greatest trick is convincing Americans that eating well is for stuck-up elitist liberals. Yes, While Foods is mega-expensive and not that good for the price. But that's not because good food is a fake consumerist concept, it's because the American agricultural system has been gutted by perverse commercial and regulatory ince…

I think it's more that as Americans have evolved and more people seek white-collar occupations, and as women have taken more career (as opposed to domestic) paths as dual-income households become necessary to survive especially in places like SF, people have lost critical skills. Like how to cook healthy with a few basic ingredients. Most of the people I work with don't know how to use an oven. I don't think half of…

Bad cooking habits are a problem for sure, but they are not the whole story. Good cooking can only do so much to redeem bad ingredients, and American ingredients are often simply terrible. Our meat is bland, tasteless, and stuffed with seed oils (American chicken especially is execrable compared to the what the rest of the world eats). Our fruits and vegetables are bred for size and productivity at the expense of variety, nutrition, and taste. The government reconmends, and in fact often mandates, consuming "low-fat" versions of foods that have had their calories replaced with sugar. And not even with real sugar, because Great Depression-era import quotas keep the price of real sugar high so high fructose corn syrup can be cheaper and big ag lobbies can be happy. Want a fresh tomato with a modicum of flavor? Where I live, all the tomatoes I can find are either ripened off the vine (and therefore worthless) or canned.

Yes, many consumers have terrible habits, but systemic forces aren't helping.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#149

Post by rufus_foreman »

maerF0x0 wrote: post #5
algoatecorn wrote: post #3

With the emergence of dark grocery stores, there will be major opportunity in the space of personalized nutrition. Shoppers will be more connected with a mobile app when it comes to their grocery store experience, and those apps have the potential to steer you toward an optimal diet that saves money and improves health. I strongly believe personalized nutrition and shopping experiences will have major impact on non c…

What's a dark grocery store?

A warehouse.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#150

Post by hunterb123 »

grendelt wrote: post #89

HEB is loved in Texas (suspiciously absent from NE Texas), but has a pretty great line of private label foods, competitive prices that are usually at or below Walmart's prices. For example, when meat prices spiked because national meatpackers had problems, HEB's Texas meatpackers didn't have such high costs (less of a spike). They have to be doing well financially with a decent markup, but the quality is pretty great…

> For example, when meat prices spiked because national meatpackers had problems, HEB's Texas meatpackers didn't have such high costs (less of a spike).

Yes, according to a GM I know this is due to them sourcing most of their products within a 100 miles. HEB has the best produce, meats, and food quality overall. Generally the best prices as well.

We go to Walmart only for the obscure brand name items or special edition things (as well as non groceries things that aren't practical for delivery)

I believe HEB is the or at least one of the largest private companies in the US. They recently bought the Favor delivery app which is the best of them all. You can write in any store and alcohol delivery from HEB is free.

Disclaimer: no affiliation with HEB, just one happy patron.

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